FDA weighs using tumor cell lines for vaccine development

Vogel, G.

Science 285(5435): 1826-1827

1999


ISSN/ISBN: 0036-8075
PMID: 10515783
Document Number: 503035
The FDA is reassessing the possibility of using tumor cell lines for vaccine development. Since 1954, the U.S. government has ruled out the use of immortal cell lines in live vaccine production because of fears that hazardous factors might be transferred to those being vaccinated. This risk has never been substantiated or quantified, and many vaccine researchers now believe that the benefits of using such cell lines outweigh the dangers. Experts in cell biology, cancer, retrovirology, and vaccinology gathered in Rockville, Maryland, in September to advise the FDA and other health agencies on the risks of using immortal and tumor-derived cells to produce viral particles for vaccines.

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